A Father Son Talk
by Shadowfax220
Summary: John has something important to tell Sam.


_Disclaimer: Sad to say, but I do not own any part of Supernatural._

**A father son talk**

John Winchester sat across the table from his youngest son trying to decide how to tell him something he had never wanted to tell either one of his boys. He had kept it a secret since he was eighteen. The only person who even suspected was Missouri and only because of her gift.

"Dad?" Sam asked getting impatient. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something."

John sighed, it was time. "Look, Sammy, I ah… I have to tell you something. It's important." John stopped and ran his hand through his hair not sure how to continue.

"Dad what is it?" Sam was getting worried. "Is it Dean? Is he okay?"

"No son, Dean is fine. This isn't about him. It's about me… and you."

Sam saw how uncomfortable his father was becoming. "Listen Dad, we don't have to do this, we're good. I promise."

"Sam, just listen a minute will you," his father replied. "I'm having a tough time here, but it's not you. It's… I've never told anyone about this."

That got Sam's complete attention. His father, the king of _need to know_ was about to tell him something that no one else knew.

"Look, Sam there is no easy way to say this so…"

"What? Am I adopted or something?" Sam guessed.

"No, Sam stop, give me a minute here."

"Okay dad but come on your killing me, just say it."

John was silent for a heartbeat, then two and Sam was about to say something when his father finally spoke up. "It's about your visions, your abilities."

Sam tilted his head and looked at his father. "What about them?" he asked.

"It's just that I know how hard they are for you. I understand them a lot more then you could imagine."

"Dad, how could you possibly understand? I don't understand what's happening to me. I don't know how to control them. Hell, I don't even know why I have them."

"I do."

Sam stopped and stared at his father for a good thirty seconds that's how long it took for him to figure out what it was his father was trying to tell him. "Oh my God, I don't believe this."

"Sam."

"No, don't Sam me. All this time you never said anything. You never told us. Every time I asked how you knew about something you just blew us off with that need to know crap." Sam was practically shouting at his father now.

"Sam."

Sam stood up and started pacing the floor. "I can't believe it you lied to us. For years you lied to us."

"No I didn't, I never lied to you. Not once." John growled quietly. "That's why I never told you anything. It's why I always said you didn't need to know. I couldn't, I wouldn't lie to you or your brother."

"You should have told us." Sam said quietly.

"I know."

"How long dad, how long have been getting your visions?"

"Sam, please sit down. This is going to be a long story and it's not going to be pleasant for either of us."

Sam sat back down, a thousand questions running through his head.

"I had my first vision when I was eighteen. They started the same way for me as they did for you. I though I was having a nightmare. Every night for five nights I saw this little girl get hit by a car. I knew her. She was the neighbor's daughter. I though it was just a nightmare."

Sam stared at his father in shock. This was exactly what happened to him. "Jessica." He said quietly, "It was the same way with Jessica."

"I know son, I'm sorry. I didn't think you or your brother had inherited this… ability. I would have told you if I suspected that you had."

"I could have saved her. If I knew they were real, I could have saved her."

"No, I don't think you could have." John said quietly.

"You don't know that!" Sam shouted. "If I had known they were real I might have been able to save her."

John sighed. "I wasn't able to save the little girl."

"That's not the same dad!"

"I know, son. But I've learned a lot about precognition over the years. One thing I've learned has been the same for every person who I've met with precognition. The first vision can't be stopped. No one I have ever spoken with or read about has been able to change what happened during their first vision."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Maybe for the same reason we can't change them all. I think some of the visions are given to us just to show us something, to help us learn something important."

"That makes no sense Dad. Why would we be given these visions if we can't save the people in them?"

"I wish I knew, God I wish I knew. I would have saved your mother if I could have."

Sam was quiet for a several minutes then quietly he asked, "You had a vision of mom, just like I had of Jess."

John looked away, but not before Sam was able to see the unshed tears that came to his eyes. "Yes," was all he said.

"Did mom know?" Sam asked, "Dad did mom know about your vision."

"No."

"Why not, why didn't you tell her?"

"Because I loved her," he replied.

"Then you should have told her. She might have been able to prevent it."

"No, she couldn't. Up until then every time I warned someone about what was going to happen they died. Every single time. They couldn't stop it from happening themselves, only I could and even I couldn't save them all. The only way to save your mother was for me to be there when it happened. But I was too late to save her and I don't think I was supposed to, not anymore."

"You couldn't save her." Sam said.

"No, I tried, god I tried. But I was able to save you, and in my vision you died too."

"So what you're saying is the vision wasn't given to you so you could save mom. You got it so you could save me?"

"Yes," John said, but he could see the wheels turning in his young sons head. He knew what he was going to say next. "Sam, it's not your fault. I've never blamed you. It's not anybody's fault except that damn demon."

"Sam these visions can be used for good things. It's been a big help in the hunts, and they have saved you and your brother on more then one occasion."

"When?" Sam asked curiously.

"You remember that Shtriga you and your brother killed."

"Yeah."

"It came for you once, around seventeen or eighteen years ago. I had a vision and came back from a hunt a day early. It turned out to be just in time. Then, when Dean was fourteen a poltergeist decided to use him for target practice, but I was able to stop it because of a vision."

"How do you know?"

"How do I know what?"

"Which ones you can save and which ones you can't?"

"You don't. Not until it's over, but there is always a reason for the vision Sam."

"Like what?"

"Well, you remember the vampires we hunted?"

"Yeah,"

"I had a vision of the girl they turned. It's how I knew where to find them."

"She had already been turned by the time we got there. We couldn't save her."

"I know, but you and your brother saved the other victims and we got the colt."

Sam realized he had one more very important question to ask his father. One he needed to know the answer too. "Dad, are you going to tell Dean?"

"Tell me what?" said his brother as he walked in the door with the lunch his father had sent him out after.

"I am now." John replied with a chuckle. "Sit down son, and bring that with you, we have a lot to discuss.

**A/N I've been watching some of the scenes that have been bothering me and I decided that the reason John was not surprised to learn that Sam was having visions was because he got the ability from his father. Please review and let me know what you think.**


End file.
